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Dance Marathon Begins March 10

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The Dance Marathon, a 24-hour marathon of non-stop dancing organized by Hope College
students to raise funds for the children of DeVos Children's Hospital, begins at
7 p.m. on Friday, March 10.

The Dance Marathon, a 24-hour marathon of non-stop dancing organized by Hope College
students to raise funds for the children of DeVos Children's Hospital, begins at
7 p.m. on Friday, March 10.

The event takes place in the college's Dow Center, located on the corner of 13th Street and Columbia Avenue. The marathon will conclude on Saturday, March 11, at 7 p.m. Students at Hope have been fundraising and preparing for the event since November, and the results of their hard work are about to be revealed. "We have put so much effort into this and are excited to see the results of our work benefiting such awesome kids," said Anne Schrock, the director of the Dance Marathon, who is a senior from Mason. The distinguishing characteristic of the fundraiser is that 100 percent of the money raised goes directly to the miracle children, who are the patients and inspiration for the event. The amount of money raised by student organizations for the Children's Miracle Network at DeVos Children's Hospital is in the thousands, but the exact amount will be revealed in a check presentation during the marathon. Throughout the evening there will be games, relays, lip-sync contests and live bands, including: Dazy Head Mazy, Jay Lite and the John Reed Band. One of the highlights is "Kids Healing Kids," a performance dedicated to the miracle children by the students of Waukazoo Elementary School, which starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Dance Marathon dancers will engage in a variety of dances: country, rock, Latin and even a kind of finger paint dancing. Each hour of the marathon will have a different theme that will begin with a line dance in which everyone drops everything to unify in one immense dance for kids. "We are directly benefiting our community through this effort because all of our families are from the Holland area. Some are even children of alumni and professors," said Stacey Baker, who is family relations chair and a junior from Saginaw. The 10 children and their families, who will receive the money to help cover the costs of treatment, will attend the event. Each Hope group, such as a residence hall or Greek organization, is paired with a child who they are spending time getting to know before the event takes place. Organizations have taken their children to Hope basketball games or out to dinner, or have held small recovery parties with them. "We are really appreciative of all of the work that students are putting into their community," said Laura Staskiewicz, who is the development director at DeVos Children's Hospital. "It will be really evident when students see the smiles on the children's faces at the marathon." The public is welcome to attend and there is no admission fee, although donations will be accepted at the door. Anyone interested in contributing to Dance Marathon may contact the Dance Marathon office at (616) 395-7472, or write to: Student Activities; 141 E. 12th Street; Holland, MI 49423.